Kemp urged to order elective surgery halt as some Georgia hospitals already hitting pause

Hospitals are once again pausing non-essential procedures as the number of COVID-19 patients in Georgia medical facilities surpasses January’s highs and as congressional leaders press the governor to do more to ease the strain caused by the surge in cases.

Grady Hospital System in downtown Atlanta became the latest Wednesday to announce it would temporarily halt all non-essential surgeries. Others have made similar announcements in the last few weeks.

“We are working through this as best we can, all while watching closely for a potential post-holiday COVID-19 surge,” John M. Haupert, the system’s CEO said in a community message. “We realize this is a decision that will inconvenience our patients but is necessary under these extraordinary circumstances to keep our patients and staff safe.”

The more easily transmissible delta variant has presented a harrowing challenge as Georgia hospitals swell with large numbers of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients. Hospitals have reported severe overcrowding in their emergency rooms, causing them to divert ambulances, and bed capacity at intensive care units is nearly maxed out.

Read more: https://georgiarecorder.com/2021/09/08/kemp-urged-to-order-elective-surgery-halt-as-some-georgia-hospitals-already-hitting-pause/